03.18. The Widow's Miraculous Relief

The Widow’s Miraculous Relief The prophet, pitying at once this pious, but afflicted and widowed mother, finds himself at the same moment Divinely commissioned to wipe away her tears, and to cause her heart to sing for joy; and he said, "What shall I do for thee?" "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" She answered, "Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil." Then said Elisha, "Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full." And she went, and doubted not, but believed that a preservation similar to that of the widow at Zarephath would be hers. Here we may notice the use and design of such parts of sacred history as these: they are recorded for the purpose of supporting our own faith in God. With hurried steps the widow hastens home to comply with the directions of the prophet. She collects from her neighbors a great number of vessels for the purpose; she sets them all down in her room; she shuts herself in with her two beloved sons, and now—oh what a holy, solemn moment must it have been!—now in God’s name she takes her pot of oil; she broaches it; and begins to pour the precious liquid into the first vessel, which, perhaps, was ten times larger than her jar, but which, to her amazement, is already filled; and in the same manner she fills a second, and a third, and so on. The sons at removing one vessel were obliged continually to have another ready; and thus it continues to flow just as if a fountain of oil had existed in the jar. At length, all the vessels were filled, except the last which was under the jar, and which was already filling to the brim, when the mother said to her son, "Bring me yet a vessel!" and he said unto her, "There is not a vessel more." Then, the history says, "the oil stayed;" then it ceased to flow. Full of amazement, gratitude, and joy, she leaves her replenished vessels, and hurries back to the man of God, to relate to him, with a throbbing heart, the great and wonderful event that had taken place. Then Elisha said to her, "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." Happy woman! How gloriously, as in an instant, was her heavy burden removed! She was redeemed from under the hand of the oppressor, and her children, those comforts of declining years, were not to be torn from her. It must have seemed to her as a blissful dream. But the manner in which her rescue and preservation had been accomplished would set the matter in its true light, namely, as an unequivocal declaration of Jehovah’s faithfulness and truth, as a pledge of his fatherly care and protection. It was proclaiming, not by words, but by deeds, "Fear not: I am with thee; the Father of the fatherless, and the Husband of the widow."

Thus are we again shown how wonderfully the Lord can relieve and sustain his people, and how all-sufficient is He after every human resource is expended. But it may be replied, that such extraordinary interpositions as these have ceased, and that God now never thus discharges the debts of his children. While we ought not to be over confident in asserting this, I would ask, is his help really the less marvellous because it is sent to us by ordinary means? Last Christmas-eve, a poor pious widow, who had several young children to care for, lay sick and helpless upon her bed. In all her neighbors’ dwellings, the families, young and old, were literally keeping holiday, while this poor widow’s heart was oppressed with anxiety and grief. Her couch was watered with her tears; and her children, tending silent and sorrowful around her, had no morsel of bread, nor money to purchase it. Her thought was, "O Lord, how mysterious are thy ways!" and she sighed heavily. Then came Elisha’s question into her mind, "What hast thou in the house?" but her answer to herself immediately was, "What have I but a few empty plates and dishes?" This, however, was replied to by another thought immediately suggested to her, which was embodied also in Elisha’s words, "Go, borrow of thy neighbors empty vessels not a few!" This is not exaggerated; the thought came to her in these very words. But the widow sighed at any idea of applying it to herself. She turned it, however, into prayer, saying, "Lord, behold these my children; in them thou hast empty vessels, for they are without food and clothing!" And then her heart subsided in another thought suggested to her, "Be not afraid, only believe." In the self-same moment, the door of her cottage opened, a person entered, and with a friendly salutation, laid a present of money upon the table, and took his leave. Presently other persons came in, bringing bread and meat, and other sorts of food. The few plates and dishes were now all full, but still the supply was increasing, so that the children were obliged to run to their neighbors to borrow vessels, not a few, and none even which they borrowed remained empty. Supplies of linen were also brought, with clothing for the children, and even playthings as Christmas presents: but more delightful than all were the friendly countenances, and kind expressions of love and cheering consolation, with which the gifts were accompanied. I say, that all this happened in a few moments, in such rapid succession, that it appeared as if the persons had concerted together for the purpose; and yet not one of them was previously aware of the other’s intention. When all was again quiet, and the presents lay spread out upon the table, it appeared to the astonished widow as if the whole had been merely a pleasing dream. Then all that was within her exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place!" and her heart was melted with gratitude and emotion. She now recollected the dying saying of her husband, his last words, "Be still and weep not; the Lord will be with thee, He will not forsake thee!" "Surely," thought she, "it was the Lord that spoke to me by his lips!" And in the hope of soon meeting him in heaven, she seemed now, as it were, to possess him again; and that she could possess her health again, if it so pleased God. The latter idea had no sooner recurred to her mind, than she at once felt herself stronger and better than she had been for many years. She arose from her bed, praised the Lord with her little ones, and was able to attend public worship the next day, and the day following. After this she was obliged again to take to her bed, where she still remains; yet from that moment she has fully known, that it would be an easy thing for the Lord, whenever he pleased, as by the utterance of a word, to relieve her from all her afflictions. Now, tell me, is not this kind interposition, as well as the event recorded in our text, deserving of our notice? Let such a recent fact then have a place also in our memories, for seasons may arrive in which it will not be without its use. My brethren, there is a treasury "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." It is a treasury of all possible good. If a blessing come not from thence upon our basket and store, our plowing and sowing will be in vain, and the sweat of our brow will avail us nothing. Without it, though we eat, yet, as the prophet Haggai saith, we have not enough; though we clothe ourselves, there is none warm; and though we earn wages, yet it is to put it into a bag with holes, Haggai 1:6. This treasury is the power, wisdom, and goodness of God our Savior, of whom the psalmist saith, "The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord, and thou givest them their meat in due season." He possesses the abundance of all things, who speaketh and it is done, who commandeth and it is created. He is clothed with honor and majesty. All power and dominion are His in heaven and in earth. He governs and overrules all. Not a sparrow falls to the ground but with His permission, by whom "the very hairs of our head are all numbered." He leadeth forth the sun as a bridegroom out of his chamber; he appoints the stars in their courses, and calls them all by their names. He arrays every single lily with more than royal glory, and clothes the grass of the field; he gives to the young ravens their food; he crowneth the year with his goodness; he communes with the humble, and refreshes the weary soul. He is never at a loss, never without means. Every word of his blessing is full of benefits. To this all-sufficient, Almighty Father, as manifested to us in the person of Christ, we are directed to make known our every want. Through Christ are we reconciled to Him, and brought into communion with him. Yes; and thus we may apply to Him in every temporal want. Oh, had many among us only taken this course, they had not been now in their present perplexity! Had this been done by men in general, the misery of the earth had been unspeakably less. But then God is so awfully holy, and we are so awfully unholy. This is true. Nevertheless a way of access to him is open for the vilest sinner, and that way is Christ. He who cometh unto God by this way, with all his poverty, will in no wise be cast out. And then the true believer in Christ, however poor in this world, possesses all things. Take heed, therefore, that ye be true believers in Christ, and then will ye no longer discern, in the Majesty on high, a God afar off, but a God unspeakably near. Ye will no longer behold Him a consuming fire, but a tender Father to yourselves. Then ye will not shrink back, afraid to offer your petitions, but crying, Abba, Father! you will cast all your care upon Him. You will have no more hesitation; you will come boldly to the throne of grace, and find your wants supplied. Our Savior has said, "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." If you should not find such promises as these fulfilled to you at once, yet proceed upon them as you are here directed; trust in them, and plead them before God. Forget not who it is that has said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." And again, "How much better are ye than the fowls!" Plead such Divine promises and assurances, and assistance and preservation will certainly be obtained, for heaven and earth shall pass away, but Christ’s words shall not pass away.